Behaviour
Cetonia aurata, rose chaffer beetle. © Lucarelli
Flight
Rose chafers are capable of very fast flight, flying with their wing cases down like bumble bees.
The adult beetles are active between April and September; they fly clumsily and are typically seen in sunny weather (hence the common name), and are often perceived as garden pests for this reason.
Feeding
Adult beetles feed on the
- nectar
- pollen
- flowers
- buds
- leaves
- fruits
of different types of flowers
- roses
- composites
- umbellifers
in particular roses from where they get their name.This is where they can be found on warm sunny days, between May and June/July, occasionally to September
Larvae are detritivores feeding on dead plant matter and rotten wood. Larvae spend the winter hibernating in the soil or inside rotting wood, emerging the following year to pupate. After they emerge as adults they feed for a few weeks, mate and then die.